On the 11th of December 2008, European political leaders will decide what their response to global warming is going to be. Last year, they agreed to a 30% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Now, with the downturn in the economy, that deal is under threat with only a 20% proposed reduction.
As a result, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund, through the coordination of the Climate Action Network (CAN), formed the campaign 'Time to Lead'. Time to Lead is a movement that urges European citizens and organisations to act by contacting local legislators and issuing support of the 30 percent reduction in Europe’s own carbon emissions by 2020. Citizens act by joining the ‘call to action’ at http://www.timetolead.eu/.
Any promises for 2020 are just pointless. May as well make them 10% or 90%.
These targets so far out that those making them are not the leaders who will have to deliver. The only real goals are short term ones - those that can be met within a single term of office or shorter.
The current economic crunch will be gone within a couple of years but no doubt there will be others. It is irrational to link actions in 2020 to today's economic climate?
That makes me think that the whole lot is just political posturing to get votes:
* People want emissions goals, so they get them... but far out enough that they are meaningless.
* A credit crunch comes so people are more concerned about the economy, show your ability to change by modifying those goals (that didn't really matter anyway).
Put bluntly this is just political greenwashing.
Any achievement oriented person will tell you that to attain a long term goal you need to break it down into small steps that are achievable, specific and measurable. These form the "plan".
A goal without a plan is not a goal - it is just a dream.
Written in December 2008